Thursday, May 07, 2015

Earlier this year, National voted down Sue Moroney's Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Six Months' Paid Leave) Amendment Bill, which would have gradually increased paid parental leave to six months. National probably thought that was the end of it - but now that they've lost their majority, Moroney has put a far more comprehensive version of the bill in the ballot. Like its predecessor, this one expands paid parental leave to six months in two stages (and increase to 22 weeks in 2016, and 26 weeks in 2018). But it also includes flexible working hours provisions, allowing parents on parental leave to ease their way back into work without losing their entitlements. Its a good bill, and it has a solid majority behind it. Now it just needs to be drawn from the ballot.